The report comes from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which conducted a report to figure out what makes and model were the most and least stolen. Specifically, the NICB says that the 2008-2010 Toyota Prius has the lowest theft rate of cars for those model years. While the overall average shows one in every 78 cars is stolen, the Prius is ranked at just one in every 606.

This is because of the fact that the Prius in a "one-model car" – the parts aren't interchangeable with other vehicles; anything that's stolen from a Prius had to go on a Prius. "It could be that auto thieves are going to steal something for which there is generally a market or a need for the parts," Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the NICB, told Bloomberg. However, as Prius sales continue to grow, Scafaldi says "we may see those numbers come more in line with what we’re finding with the rest of the vehicles.”

California had the most stolen Prius cars last year, according to the NICB, followed by Florida and New York. California is also where Toyota sells the most Prius models, and Bloomberg has reported that the Prius has become the best-selling nameplate in the state.Last year the top five most-stolen vehicles were the 1994 Honda Accord, 1998 Honda Civic, 2006 Ford F-Series, 1991 Toyota Camry, and 2000 Dodge Caravan – all cars that have sold in huge numbers and been maintained on the road. That said, the 1991 Camry was the only Toyota model to make the top 10 list for 2011.

The Prius is very difficult to steal because you can't hotwire the engine to get it started like you would a Honda Accord. The Prius can't be hotwired-- One needs to boot up the computer system that controls the hybrid electrical system, and that's far more complicated to do than hotwiring a normal car.

The Prius trim levels that have the SKS key are virtually impossible to start unless you have the keyfob. The only way a car thief can steal such Prii would be to truck it away with a flatbed.

BTW any of the Toyota hybrids (Camry Hybrid, Lexus CT200h, etc.) are all equally difficult to steal because of the hybrid system.

I doubt thieves would make much money off selling the hybrid battery either. Those have a warranty of 8 years / 100,000 miles in most states, 10 years / 150,000 miles in the states that have California emissions standards. So if the battery fails within those warranty periods, the battery replacement to the owner is ZERO dollars.